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"You are destroying my life"

Letter: Teen calls out province for closing The Hub on Ross, Camp L.G. Barnes

Nov 2, 2020 | 2:14 PM

Letter to Jason Kenney and Rajan Sawhney,

How could you? In a year of challenges, fear and isolation you take away my hopes, dreams and opportunities.

I am Anakin, an almost 19-year-old young man in Red Deer.

For two years I have raised almost $15,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation by rappelling a 13-story building. I have become a great guitar player, I have become an actor in plays and I finished school.

I also live with tumors in my head, daily pain, epilepsy, and I’m legally blind.

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And you are destroying my life.

You are causing me so much fear by threatening to take away my AISH when no one will hire me, and I get so very tired when I am too busy.

You took away The Hub on Ross where I made so many friends, where I was safe and valued, where I was learning to be a writer, where I was able to be an actor on a stage! And i got to be in a music video!

This place was where I became an honorary member of the 501st Legion!

Now it’s gone! How can you sleep at night knowing you are hurting so many people who are already lonely, scared and in pain?

Why?

I did not ask to be born early and suffer a huge bleed in my brain. I did not ask to be segregated from society because people don’t understand my needs. I did not ask to need supports and monitoring all day long to be in the community and in my home.

You tried to take all my PDD funding away so my mom would lose her job to get me out in the community.

You have made everything in my life so much harder. And it’s already so hard.

I was going to go to Camp LG Barnes, now I can’t. I’ve never been to a camp before.

I have no place to go to be with my friends to act, write, dance, sing, laugh, play my guitar, talk to Jason and Twyla. You took that away from me.

What is next? Will you tell me I’m not allowed in public anymore?

What if this was your son who lived my life? What if you ended up with MS like my mom.

Would you be so cruel then?

I’m very mad and I don’t want to be in a place that has a boss that treats people with disabilities so badly.

How could you! Shame on you both!

Anakin Suerink

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of rdnewsNOW or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. Column suggestions and letters to the editor can be sent to news@rdnewsNOW.com.